Championship window closing for some

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, right, of Congo, puts his arm around forward Kevin Durant in the second half of Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Friday, May 9, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Thunder won 118-112. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Associated Press

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, right, of Congo, puts his arm around forward Kevin Durant in the second half of Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Friday, May 9, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Thunder won 118-112. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

What if Kevin Durant doesn't reach the mountain top in Oklahoma City? Can you imagine Jim Harbaugh never leading San Francisco to Super Bowl paydirt? It would be a shame if the combination of one of this generation's best hitters (Miguel Cabrera) and pitchers (Justin Verlander) aren't able to bring Detroit its first World Series crown since 1984.

Quite frankly, all three of these teams could be celebrating a title within the next 365 days and none of us would be surprised, but their championship window won't remain open indefinitely.

Detroit Tigers (2014)

Two-time Most Valuable Player Miguel Cabrera is locked in until 2023, but last year's Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer is a free agent after this season, and apparently a body snatcher who is an incredibly bad pitcher has taken over Justin Verlander. The Tigers have made three straight ALCS, and were swept by the Giants in the 2012 Fall Classic. It's hard to beat Verlander (when he's himself) and Scherzer in a seven game series, but if Scherzer bolts and we're witnessing the decline of Verlander, I don't see them recovering. Which means this season is it, unless they resign Scherzer and Verlander escapes the pod people. Donald Sutherland had no such luck.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2016)

The Thunder's window stays open as long as Durant says it does, but he's a free agent in two years, and teams like the Lakers and Knicks will be willing to do whatever it takes to pry him away from small-market Oklahoma City. If there's a superstar in the NBA I could imagine spending the duration of his career with a small-market franchise, it's Durant, especially after his passionate MVP speech this postseason. The scary thing if he stays: In two seasons, Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka will be the same age as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh when they united.

San Francisco 49ers (2020)

If there is an NFL roster built for the long haul, it's the 49ers. Their depth chart is so deep, they've started red-shirting players — Marcus Lattimore, Tank Carridine and Brandon Thomas to name a few — which was previously unheard of in The League. They've recently signed their franchise quarterback to a team-friendly contract through 2020. I have their window open until the next decade because it's a QB-driven league, but a few things could slam the window shut.

• Harbaugh's contract is up after the 2015 season. Some might think they could replace him with either defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, offensive coordinator Greg Roman or even convince Stanford's David Shaw to be the latest Cardinal coach to bolt Palo Alto for 4949 Centennial Blvd. All are fine candidates, but none are Harbaugh.

• Like I said, this roster is ridiculously deep. There's a backup capable of starting at almost every position. except quarterback. The reason Colin Kaepernick's contract is so team-friendly is because he's a mobile QB, and they don't have much of a shelf life in the NFL usually. If Kaepernick goes down, Blaine Gabbert isn't leading this team to the promised land.